Like Republican Senator of Arizona, Jon Kyl, Utah Republican Chris Cannon opposed internet gambling. Unlike Kyl, however, Cannon will not be supportive of any legislation opposing internet gambling that is currently surfacing.
It's all about the language and Cannon fears the current bill to ban online gambling could lead to legalization of some internet gaming activities in his home state of Utah.
"While I am an ardent opponent of gambling, one of the things I don't want to see is an opportunity for gambling because we pre-empt state law," the Utah Republican said. "I don't want Utah to get bombarded with gambling if it becomes legal."
And while the online gambling industry may not necessarily share Cannon's views, it is the lack of hypocrisy that has earned him respect. While Arizona Republican and some of his colleagues parade around bashing online gambling, they do so under the guise of ensuring other forms of gambling (specifically horse betting and the state lotteries) be exempt from any proposed bill. Cannon's state is one of the few without a lottery. State lotteries are among the most potent forms of gambling. In fact, Gambling911.com considers state lotteries the crack cocaine of gambling and refuses to endorse such activities.
In the past, powerful religious lobbying groups such as the Christian Coalition, which Gambling911.com fully supports for its position on family values, have helped quash any previous bills authored by Kyl and his overzealous cronies.
The bill's co-sponsor, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., said opponents' claims that the bill would give special treatment expanding horse betting or any gambling enterprise, are absurd.
"I strongly disagree with anybody that says this legislation adds a carve-out for the horse racing industry," said Goodlatte, who was quoted by The Salt Lake Tribune. He said horse racing is already regulated by another federal law, and his bill would not change that.
But Goodlatte, like Kyl, fails to see the overall picture, that all forms of gambling are viewed as bad by the mostly Mormon population of Utah, including horse betting. Instead, he is only concerned with his own self-righteous stance that horse racing is regulated. It is not regulated by God and all religious sectors should oppose Goodlatte and his cronies.
Goodlatte said that during the five years that various versions of the legislation have been debated, the scope of Internet gambling has quadrupled. Today there are more than 2,300 gambling sites and $12 billion a year bet online, he said.
But this is of little concern to the good folks of Utah who realize that horse betting and lotteries in their state would lead to corruption, crime, poverty and perhaps prostitution.
Online gambling would not be permitted in any Utah homes. State lotteries and horse betting, meanwhile, would be impossible to avoid. Billboards would line the streets. Beer bottles would litter the streets surrounding horse tracks and Off Track Betting locales frequented by gambling degenerates. Prostitutes would harass citizens for a $5 fix in an effort to pay for their state lottery addiction.
This year, the debate takes place as Congress deals with fallout from a scandal involving lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who lobbied for online gambling interests and Indian tribes.
Cannon's former chief of staff, David Safavian, who also lobbied for online gambling interests before joining Cannon's staff, has been charged with misleading investigators probing a trip to Scotland he took with Abramoff after he left Cannon's office and went to work at the General Services Administration.
Cannon has tried several times to amend the legislation to take out the horse-racing language.
Supporters of the legislation said Cannon's change would cost the bill the support it needs to pass.
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Gambling911.com News Wire
It's all about the language and Cannon fears the current bill to ban online gambling could lead to legalization of some internet gaming activities in his home state of Utah.
"While I am an ardent opponent of gambling, one of the things I don't want to see is an opportunity for gambling because we pre-empt state law," the Utah Republican said. "I don't want Utah to get bombarded with gambling if it becomes legal."
And while the online gambling industry may not necessarily share Cannon's views, it is the lack of hypocrisy that has earned him respect. While Arizona Republican and some of his colleagues parade around bashing online gambling, they do so under the guise of ensuring other forms of gambling (specifically horse betting and the state lotteries) be exempt from any proposed bill. Cannon's state is one of the few without a lottery. State lotteries are among the most potent forms of gambling. In fact, Gambling911.com considers state lotteries the crack cocaine of gambling and refuses to endorse such activities.
In the past, powerful religious lobbying groups such as the Christian Coalition, which Gambling911.com fully supports for its position on family values, have helped quash any previous bills authored by Kyl and his overzealous cronies.
The bill's co-sponsor, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., said opponents' claims that the bill would give special treatment expanding horse betting or any gambling enterprise, are absurd.
"I strongly disagree with anybody that says this legislation adds a carve-out for the horse racing industry," said Goodlatte, who was quoted by The Salt Lake Tribune. He said horse racing is already regulated by another federal law, and his bill would not change that.
But Goodlatte, like Kyl, fails to see the overall picture, that all forms of gambling are viewed as bad by the mostly Mormon population of Utah, including horse betting. Instead, he is only concerned with his own self-righteous stance that horse racing is regulated. It is not regulated by God and all religious sectors should oppose Goodlatte and his cronies.
Goodlatte said that during the five years that various versions of the legislation have been debated, the scope of Internet gambling has quadrupled. Today there are more than 2,300 gambling sites and $12 billion a year bet online, he said.
But this is of little concern to the good folks of Utah who realize that horse betting and lotteries in their state would lead to corruption, crime, poverty and perhaps prostitution.
Online gambling would not be permitted in any Utah homes. State lotteries and horse betting, meanwhile, would be impossible to avoid. Billboards would line the streets. Beer bottles would litter the streets surrounding horse tracks and Off Track Betting locales frequented by gambling degenerates. Prostitutes would harass citizens for a $5 fix in an effort to pay for their state lottery addiction.
This year, the debate takes place as Congress deals with fallout from a scandal involving lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who lobbied for online gambling interests and Indian tribes.
Cannon's former chief of staff, David Safavian, who also lobbied for online gambling interests before joining Cannon's staff, has been charged with misleading investigators probing a trip to Scotland he took with Abramoff after he left Cannon's office and went to work at the General Services Administration.
Cannon has tried several times to amend the legislation to take out the horse-racing language.
Supporters of the legislation said Cannon's change would cost the bill the support it needs to pass.
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Gambling911.com News Wire